SSL lamp and luminaire developers can realize a 10% gain in efficacy with level lumen output relative to the Gen 2 products announced seven months ago.

A SmartCast LED controls project is delivering 70% energy savings in a North Carolina facility, while Cree separately struck a network- and controls-centric partnership with Cisco and has brought new LED-based BR30 and luminaire products to market.

Several test and measurement companies have instruments that are now capable of taking percent flicker and flicker index measurements for SSL products, and the US Department of Energy has found the products to be mostly accurate with a few notable exceptions.

A single high-power packaged LED has delivered nearly 1600 lm in a Cree laboratory demonstration that was based on the company’s SC5 technology platform.

New CEC lighting regulations for general-service and small directional lamps will result in improved color rendering with a tradeoff in energy efficiency.

Cisco’s new partner Molex teams with software firm amBX. At the same time, Cisco hints at lower priced, lighting-optimized Power over Ethernet switches.

At Strategies in Light, Stephanie Pruitt delivered a summary of the latest packaged LED market research that acknowledges an oversupplied market and faster-than-expected price erosion.

Simon Property Group and Acuity have partnered on two pilot projects testing LED-based street lights in mall parking lots with sensors on the luminaires that can monitor the density of autos in the lots.

This year’s Light+Building trade fair, being held from March 13–18 in Frankfurt, revolves around a theme of “digital – individual – connected” to place emphasis on the smart capabilities of today’s networked solid-state lighting (SSL) systems.

For the second time in three years, mid-power March is a Lumileds initiative focused on portfolio expansions of packaged LEDs in several popular footprints through better efficacy and increased reliability.